Remote tracking system and device with variable sampling and sending capabilities based on environmental factors

ABSTRACT

A remote tracking device for use in a remote tracking system is described. The remote tracking device includes a positioning system receiver, such as GPS, operable to receive signals indicative of the location of the remote tracking device, a cellular transceiver operable to communicate with the central monitoring center, and a processor connected to the positioning system receiver and the cellular transceiver, the processor operable to monitor at least one environmental condition for the remote tracking device, and to adjust the frequency of an operation of the remote tracking devices based on the at least one environmental condition. The environmental condition may include the devices rate of movement, proximity to an area of interest, time of day, or other condition in response to which it would be desirable to alter the frequency of operation of the remote tracking device.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The field of the present invention relates to remote tracking andcommunication systems and devices, and more particularly to alarm andalarm management systems for use with systems for tracking andmonitoring persons from a central monitoring center.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is very well known as a mechanismfor providing relatively accurate positioning information using smallportable devices. To create a remote tracking device useful for trackingor monitoring persons GPS devices need a mechanism to transmit thelocation information from the GPS to a central site where a record ofthe person's location can be maintained. There have been several devicesthat have used terrestrial wireless or cellular networks coupled to aGPS engine to transmit the location data to a central repository. TheGPS/cellular device can either transmit the raw GPS data over thecellular network to a central system which can then process the GPS datato determine the location of the device, or if enough processing poweris built into the remote tracking device the GPS calculations can bedone on the remote tracking device and the derived location informationcan be transmitted to the central repository. A time stamp can beassociated with the location information to provide temporal context forthe location information.

An example of such a device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,080 toLayson, Jr. The remote tracking device of Layson, Jr. includes a tamperresistant strap and housing which holds a GPS engine and a wireless datamodem. The remote tracking device communicates with a central stationcomputer using the wireless data modem and transmits the location datafor the remote tracking device. The central station includes a computerwhich is operable to take the position information from the remotetracking device and to compare that location information against aschedule of rules and location restraints to determine if the remotetracking device has strayed from a permitted inclusion zone or hasentered a forbidden exclusion zone.

Another remote tracking device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,396to Gaukel. The remote tracking device of Gaukel is a two-piece devicewith a tamper resistant unit securely attached to the person to bemonitored. The secure unit is connected to, or in communication with, abody-worn device that includes a GPS engine and a cellular modem. Aswith Layson, Jr., the cellular modem is used to communicate the locationinformation from the GPS engine to a control station.

Yet another remote tracking device and system is described by U.S. Pat.No. 5,867,103 to Taylor, Jr. The remote tracking device of Taylor, Jr.includes a tamper detection mechanism, a mechanism for receiving asignal from a positioning device, such as a GPS satellite, and atransmitter for transmitting a signal to a central station. The systemfor monitoring the remote devices includes a position determiningmechanism for computationally determining the location of the remotedevice based on the signal from the positioning device and a temporalmarking mechanism for providing a time stamp associated with thelocation determination.

Each of these devices shares a similar use of GPS and cellular orwireless data technology to gather information about the position of theremote device and to transmit information about the position to acentral computer. Further, they all share a similar mechanism for makinglocation determinations and sending those location determinations to thecentral computer. Prior art devices are scheduled to make locationdeterminations at predetermined intervals and to store that locationinformation and batch send a group of location determinations at apredetermined interval to the central computer.

This mechanism for location sampling and batch sending both provides fora constant drain on battery resources and may result in locationinformation that may be too infrequent in certain circumstances and tofrequent in others. For example, location determination at predeterminedintervals may be too infrequent for circumstances where the remotetracking device is moving quickly (such as in a car on a highway), or isapproaching a boundary of a geographical zone which may be prohibited.That same predetermined interval may be too frequent when the device isstationary for an extended period of time, such as when the wearer issleeping. By slowing the location sampling frequency in these cases theGPS and cellular engines may be powered down between sampling andsending, thereby preserving battery life.

What is needed is a system and method for changing the frequency betweenlocation determinations and/or data transmissions in a remote trackingdevice.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the concepts described herein are directed to aremote tracking device for use in a remote tracking system. The remotetracking device includes a positioning system receiver operable toreceive signals indicative of the location of the remote trackingdevice, a cellular transceiver operable to communicate with the centralmonitoring center, and a processor connected to the positioning systemreceiver and the cellular transceiver, the processor operable to monitorat least one environmental condition for the remote tracking device, andto adjust the frequency of an operation of the remote tracking devicesbased on the at least one environmental condition.

In another embodiment, the remote tracking device includes a cellulartransceiver, a positioning system receiver and a processor connected tothe positioning system receiver and the cellular transceiver. Theprocessor is operable to generate status information for the remotetracking device and to store location information derived from thesignals indicative of a location and the status information in a memory.The processor is further able to monitor at least one environmentalcondition for the remote tracking device, and to adjust the frequency ofdata transmission from the remote tracking devices based on the at leastone environmental condition.

In another embodiment according to the concepts described herein, amethod operating a remote tracking device which includes a positioningsystem engine, a wireless transceiver and a processor, the processorable to communicate with the positioning system engine and wirelesstransceiver to produce location information for the remote trackingdevice and send the location information to a monitoring center isdescribed. The method includes tracking at least one environmentalcondition using the processor and determining a frequency for performingan operating function based on the at least one environmental condition

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conceptionand specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by thoseskilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthe invention, both as to its organization and method of operation,together with further objects and advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, thateach of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference isnow made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the major elements of a remote trackingsystem according to the concepts described herein;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a remote tracking and communicationdevice according to the concepts described herein;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the electrical components in a remotetracking and communication device;

FIGS. 4A-C are flow charts illustrating embodiments of a data processingmethods and data reporting methods using the remote tracking system;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a data processingmethod using the remote tracking system;

FIG. 6 is a chart illustrating an embodiment of a monitoring centeradministration flow according to the concepts described herein

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a monitoring centercall flow according to the concepts described herein;

FIG. 8 is a illustration of a screen shot showing an embodiment of astatus monitor for a remote tracking device according to the conceptsdescribed herein; and

FIGS. 9A-9J are flow charts illustrating embodiments of monitoringcenter application flows for the setup, assignment and modification ofvarious aspects associated with a remote tracking system according tothe concepts described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of a remote tracking device and monitoring systemaccording to the concepts described herein provides for a remotetracking that includes two-way voice communication between the personbeing monitored and monitoring center personnel or the persons paroleofficer, supervisor, or other administrator. It also provides for analarm system for the remote tracking device and associated alarmmanagement system and alarm hierarchy which is capable of warning theoffender and potentially those around the offender of a violation of theterms and conditions surrounding the monitoring. Still further, itprovides for a comprehensive monitoring system that includes a staffedmonitoring center and access by the parole officer, supervisor oradministrator to information and tools to manage the information relatedto the person being monitored and the status of the person and remotetracking device.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a simplified diagram showing the major elementsof a preferred embodiment of a remote tracking system according to theconcepts described herein is shown. System 100 is used to track multipleremote tracing devices (RTDs). Each RTD 101 includes a positioningsystem engine, such as a global positioning system (GPS) engine, whichis able to receive signals from one or more sources, either terrestrialnetworks or satellite network such as multiple GPS satellites 102, andto perform a location calculation based on the signals from the sources.While preferred embodiments described herein will use references to GPS,any position system engine or transceiver, terrestrial, airborne orsatellite based, may be used in place of GPS according to the scope ofthe concepts described herein, including the Galeleo satellite trackingsystem. Applicant intends the use of GPS herein to be generic to anypositioning system and to include all positioning systems. Locationdetermination using terrestrial networks, satellite, or assistedsatellite (using satellite signals in association with terrestrialsignals such as cellular signals to provide a more precise locationdetermination), is well known and will not be discussed further herein.

In addition to a GPS engine, the RTD includes a wireless/cellulartransceiver. After a location determination has been made by the GPSengine or an internal microprocessor, the location information andinformation indicating the status of the RTD is sent over a terrestrialnetwork, which is preferably a cellular network, as shown by cellularnetwork 103. In order to be useful, each position location for the RTDneeds to include an indication of the time for the location. In apreferred embodiment, the RTD uses the time information contained in theGPS signals themselves to provide the time indication for the positiondetermination, however, instead of using the time information from theGPS signal, the RTD itself may provide the time indication from aninternal clock. An internal clock may also be used to provide timeindications on when data packets were created and sent using thecellular connection.

The information sent by the RTD over its cellular connection is receivedby monitoring center 104. Monitoring center 104 is preferably a staffedmonitoring center providing representatives who can act as anintermediary between the person being monitored and the parole officer,supervisor or administrator with responsibility for the person beingmonitored. The monitoring center also includes the computer resourcesrequired to process, store and analyze the data received from the RTDsand provide the interface for the officers/supervisors/administrators toreview the information in the system and to setup, modify and terminatethe operating parameters for each individual RTD.

Access to the information in the monitoring center is available througha web interface which connects to a network 105, such as the Internet,which allows persons with authorization 106 outside the monitoringcenter to access information in the monitoring centers computers.Additionally, cellular network 103 can also be used to establish two-wayvoice communication between the RTDs and the monitoring center, orresponsible officer/supervisor/administrator. While reference is made totwo-way voice communication, the term two-way is meant to encompass anyinteractive voice communication involving two or more parties, includingthree or more-way voice communication and would include conference typecalls and multiparty calls. The two-way voice communications may use thesame infrastructure as the data connections between the RTD andmonitoring center, or may use completely different infrastructure orpaths through the network than the data connections. Other third partiesmay also be in the voice or data path between the RTD and monitoringcenter to provide any number of functions, including the recording andarchival of the voice communications between the RTD and monitoringcenter, and still be within the scope of the concepts described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of the physical characteristics aremote tracking device 200 according to the concepts described herein isshown in greater detail. Device 200 includes housing 201 with battery202 removably affixed thereto. The single housing is configured tocontain all electrical components necessary for tracking andcommunicating with the individual wearing device 200. Battery 202provides power to the electronic circuitry within housing 201, asdescribed below, and is preferably rechargeable. Top side 203 of housing201 includes a first set of through ports 204. Another side 205 ofhousing 201 includes a second set of through ports 206. The first set ofthrough ports 204 are configured to allow sound to pass through to amicrophone (not shown) disposed within housing 201, while the second setof through ports 206 are configured to allow sound to pass outward froma speaker (not shown) which is also disposed within the housing 201. Topside 203 of housing 201 also includes two panels 207 and 208, at leastone of which is configured as a rocker button to activate one or more ofthe electronic components described below.

The rear face of device 200 includes an appropriate curvature so that itcan be attached to a person's body, preferably to an ankle. Battery 202,which is inserted into the bottom side of device 200, includes a releaselever (not shown) which is movable to release the battery from thehousing. Each end of a strap 209 (partially shown) is secured within anextension on each side of housing 201, such as extension 210. Strap 209and the strap connections to housing 201 are tamper resistant andinclude security measures intended to prevent the disconnection orsevering of strap 209, or if strap 209 is severed, device 200 canprovide a signal indicating the status of the strap. The strappreferably includes one or more optical fibers and/or conductivematerials embedded throughout its length, each of which is exposed ateither end of the strap and connected to the electronics in device 200which can determine the integrity of the connections.

Additional tamper detection may be achieved through monitoring allexternally accessible fasteners, e.g., the screws affixing the pressureblock to the housing, the external battery, and the like, for electricalcontinuity by using each fastener to complete, or as part of, anelectrical circuit.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an embodiment of the electronic aspects of theremote tracking device is shown. The type of connection between thevarious components is a matter of design choice, and may vary dependingupon the specific component chosen to perform for a particular function.Further, where a specific component is indicated, those skilled in theart will appreciate that the indicated component may be substituted withother, functionally equivalent components that are readily available inthe marketplace.

Electronics 300 includes microprocessor 301. Microprocessor 301 controlsoverall operation of the device according to programming stored inmemory 302, which can be SRAM memory. Electronics 300 may include inputs303, which can be inputs such as switches or buttons, are included asinputs to microprocessor 301 and can be used to input data or providefor activation of pre-designated functionality controlled bymicroprocessor 301. In embodiments of the RTD, there is one buttondedicated for activation of voice communications with the monitoringcenter. LEDs 304 are used as function and status indicators. Theprogramming stored in memory 302 may be placed there at the time ofmanufacture, and additional, new or modified programming may be uploadedto the device using a wired connection via the included diagnosticinterface 305, user interface 306, or wirelessly via the cellulartransceiver 307 received by antenna 308.

Cellular transceiver 307 may be of the GSM/GPRS variety, and may includea SIM card 309. Cellular transceiver 307 allows two-way voice and datacommunication between the remote device and the monitoring center 104from FIG. 1. Voice communications are further enabled by a directconnection between cellular transceiver 307 and an audio codec 310,which encodes and decodes the digital audio signal portion of thewireless transmission, and an associated speaker 311 and microphone 312.Data communications preferably use the cellular data channel and/or thecellular control channel, which can make use of short message service(SMS) capabilities in the network. This has additional benefits in thatit provides redundancy for cellular systems in which service for bothtypes of data communication is supported. Also, for those cellularsystems in which the voice channel cannot be used simultaneously withthe data channel, or in which the data channel is simply unavailable,the control channel can provide a data link between the call center andthe device.

Electronics 200 may also include short range wireless transceiver 313and associated antenna 314, which, if included, allow for short rangewireless voice and data communications with peripheral devices. Thissecond wireless transceiver 114 can be chosen to utilize the wirelesscommunications standard published by the ZigBee Alliance, informationabout which may be found at www.zigbee.org. Wireless transceiver 313,however, may be designed and implemented using any of the alternativewireless communication standards which are well known in the art.Microprocessor 301 can be programmed to pass through voicecommunications received by cellular transceiver 307 to a voice-capableperipheral when such a peripheral is employed in conjunction with theremote tracking and communication device and is activated. Voicecommunications received from a voice enabled peripheral can be passedthrough to cellular transceiver 307 for transmission. Data generated bythe device or received from a peripheral, if any, may be stored bymicroprocessor 301 in memory 315, which can be non-volatile memory suchas serial flash memory until required by microprocessor 301 or until itis to be transmitted by the device.

GPS receiver 316 and antenna 317 receive signals transmitted by GPSsatellites, the signal used to establish the geographical location ofthe device and the person being monitored. In one embodiment, data fromGPS receiver 316 is passed through to microprocessor 301, which in turnprocesses the data to determine a location and associated time, andstores it in the serial flash memory 315 pending transmission usingcellular transceiver 307. While electronics 300 are shown with a GPSreceiver which passes the GPS signal data to the microprocessor forprocessing, a GPS engine which includes both the GPS receiver and thecapability to process the GPS signal to produce a location determinationand associated time indication may also be used according to theconcepts described herein. Using a stand alone GPS engine would freeprocessing bandwidth in the microprocessor, thereby allowing themicroprocessor to perform other additional functions.

Cellular transceiver 307 may also be used to geographically locate thedevice through well known methods of cell tower triangulation, or may beused to provide location information used in assisted GPS schemes.Geographical location using cellular transceiver 307 may be performed inaddition to, in conjunction with, or as a substitute for the GPSreceiver 316. Other known methods for geographically locating the devicemay also be employed.

Either of memories 302 and 315, or memory resident on themicroprocessor, may be used individually, or may be used in anycombination to store the operating program and parameters for theoperation of the device, as will be discussed later, and may further beused to store prerecorded messages which can be played through speaker311 as part of the monitoring and alarm management system which will bediscussed in greater detail below. A siren/speaker 323 may also beincluded in the device and controlled by microprocessor 301. Siren 323is also used as part of the alarm system and can be activated to providea high decibel audible alarm. This alarm can both warn those in thevicinity that the person being monitored has entered an exclusion zoneor left an inclusion zone, and can aid the police in the location of theperson being monitored. The siren can be activated automatically by themicroprocessor as part of the alarm management system or can beactivated remotely by sending a signal to the microprocessor usingcellular transceiver 307. Siren 323 can be a separate device or could becombined with the functionality of speaker 311. Tamper detection circuit322 monitors the condition of strap 209 from FIG. 2 and any other tamperdetection sensors that may be part of housing 201.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, power to the processor and otherelectronic components is provided though power controller 318 byexternal battery 319, or internal battery 320 when the external batteris disconnected or the voltage of the external battery falls below athreshold. External battery 319 is removable and is preferablyrechargeable by a separate recharging unit. Also, the person beingmonitored will preferably have multiple external batteries so that acharged external battery can be immediately inserted when a dischargedbattery is removed. Internal battery 320 is preferably internal to thehousing and not accessible by the person being monitored. The internalbattery allows the device to continue to operate normally while theexternal battery is being replaced. As the internal battery is intendedto supply power to the device only during the transitioning from adepleted external battery to a charged external battery, or to provide ashort amount of time to acquire a charged battery, the internal batterydoes not need to have a large capacity. Internal battery 320 is chargedusing power from external battery 319 using voltage converter 321 and/ora battery charger which may be connected to the device through voltageconverter 321.

Since RTD 200 is intended to be worn around the ankle of the personbeing monitored, the microphone and speaker used for two-way voicecommunication is a significant distance from the ears and mouth of theperson being monitored. To compensate for this a peripheral device maybe used in conjunction with the RTD to aid in the two-way voicecommunication. In one embodiment the peripheral device has the formfactor of a watch and includes an internal speaker, an internalmicrophone, and an internal short range wireless transceiver. Themicrophone and speaker are positioned in the housing of the peripheralto better enable voice communications. The short range wirelesstransceiver is configured to use the same wireless communicationsstandard as the RTD to enable wireless voice and data communicationsbetween the device and the peripheral. A button can be included which,when pressed, causes a command signal to be sent to the RTD. Thiscommand signal can be used to instruct the remote tracking andcommunication device to initiate two-way voice communications with themonitoring center. When the peripheral device is used for such voicecommunications, the peripheral device communicates wirelessly with theRTD using the respective short range wireless transceiver of eachrespective unit, and the RTD then uses the cellular transceiver toconnect the voice communications with the monitoring center. Themicrophone and speaker in the RTD can be disabled by the microprocessorwhen a peripheral device, such as described, is in use.

Using electronics such as those described above, embodiments of a remotetracking devices according to the concepts described herein may beprogrammed with a variety of useful features. One such feature is theability to track the geographical location the individual wearing thedevice. Most frequently, the GPS receiver is used to determine thelocation of the device (and thus the wearer) at the time indicated inthe GPS signals received from GPS network satellites. When the GPS isunable to determine location, the cellular transceiver may be used todetermine the location of the device using well-known cellular towertriangulation techniques. Once identified, the location of the device ispassed to the microprocessor, which processes the data according to itsprogramming and stores the data in the memory.

As illustrated in method 430 shown in FIG. 4B, in some embodiments eachelement of location data, including the time is collected, as shown byprocess 431, and along with the current status of the RTD, process 432,is placed into a datagram, process 433, and send through the cellulartransceiver immediately, process 436, as long as the RTD has a goodcellular signal, process 434. If there is not a good cellular signal,the RTD stores the datagram and all subsequent datagrams, process 435until a good cellular signal is detected by the RTD. When the goodcellular signal is established all of the unsent datagrams are then sentto the monitoring center computers over the cellular network, process436.

In other embodiments, the datagrams may be stored and sent in batches.In batch send embodiments, method 430 would repeat processes 431, 432and 433 until a predetermined number of datagrams were stored, or untila timer expired before continuing on to process 434.

In yet other embodiments, any number of operations, such as (in thisexample) the batch sending of datagrams, could be determined fromenvironmental factors and not tied to a predetermined or preprogrammednumber, such as the number of datagrams or a predetermined timer, as isillustrated in method 450 shown in FIG. 4C. In method 450, theenvironmental conditions are monitored to determine if the period, orfrequency of the operation, should be adjusted. These environmentalconditions could be any condition that might require a differentreporting frequency, such as the current speed of the RTD, the locationof the RTD, conditions/events detected by the RTD, such as physiologicalconditions/events, sensor inputs to the RTD, notices of conditions orevents from the monitoring center, or any other environmental condition,event or factor. For movement speed, for example, the RTD can determine,from comparing previous location and time measurements, the rate ofmovement of the RTD, and by association its wearer. As a result, the RTDmay determine that location information needs to be sent more frequentlyand may further determine that more frequent location determinationsneed to be made. Operations could include, but are not limited to,sending of data by the RTD, performing location determinations, issuingalerts to the wearer, generating alarm conditions, or any otheroperation that my be tied to environmental conditions, events orfactors.

Similarly, the RTD may determine that it is stationary and likely toremain stationary for a prolonged period, such as overnight, or duringworking hours. If the RTD makes such a determination, the RTD may slowthe frequency of location determinations and data transmission topreserve the battery. By slowing the location sampling and datatransmission frequency, the RTD can leave the GPS engine and cellulartransceiver powered down for longer intervals, thereby conservingbattery power.

In addition to environmental factors such as movement speed, the RTD canchange location sampling and data transmission frequency based onproximity to an area of interest such as a geo-zone boundary. If the RTDis approaching an exclusion zone or the edge of an inclusion zone, theRTD may determine that more frequent location determinations should bemade and/or transmitted to that the system is more quickly aware of aviolation that would occur at normal rates. Though speed and proximityare used as examples of environmental factors that could be used todetermine batch send frequency or even location determination frequencyand factor that can be monitored and used in the frequency determinationis included in the concepts described herein.

In process 452 of method 450 it is determined if the batch send and/orlocation determination frequency needs to be adjusted based onenvironmental conditions. If yes, process 453 adjusts the timer(s)accordingly. Process 454 then determines if the sampling or send timerhas expired, if not, the method returns to process 451. If either timerhas expired the method passes to process 455, which performs a locationdetermination or sends the accumulated datagrams, as appropriate.

As referenced above, embodiments of the remote tracking devices and/orthe remote tracking system can be programmed to track the location of anRTD with respect to inclusion and exclusion zones. In these embodimentsthe microprocessor can be programmed to compare location data againstrules which establish predefined geographical areas where the personbeing monitored is required to be (inclusion zones), or forbidden frombeing (exclusion zones). These zones can be tied to specific times ofthe day, such as curfews. A curfew is defined by a geographical areawithin which the device (and thus the wearer) needs to be physicallylocated during specified times. Examples of curfew rules includerequiring the wearer to be at a home area during the evening andovernight hours or at a work area during work hours. An inclusion zoneis a geographical area within which the wearer is required to remainduring specified times or a boundary outside of which the wearer is notallowed to travel. Inclusion zones and curfews, under these definitions,can also therefore be layered. For example, there may be a permanentinclusion zone, such as the county of residence of the wearer, outsideof which the wearer is not allowed to travel without specificpermission. Inside of this permanent zone there may be time specificzones, such as the wearers home during overnight hours or workplacebetween 8 am and 5 pm.

An exclusion zone is a geographical area outside of which the wearer isrequired at all times. The rules can be established for any particulardevice at the time of initialization, modified at any time, or eventemporarily suspended, at any time through changes to the parametersentered into the monitoring center computers and downloaded to thedevice, or entered directly into the device through direct connectionsto the diagnostic or user interface components of the device. Inaddition to geo-zone type rules, rules dictating a “report-in” typerequirement may also be programmed into the device. These “report-in”rules could be used to satisfy report in requirements for some parolees.The device would be programmed with chronological points at which thewearer could be notified, such as by a prerecorded voice message storedon the device, to contact the monitoring center or other person at thattime, or within a specified interval. The wearer could activate thevoice communication on the device or could report in by other means.Further, rules for monitoring physiological conditions/events can beprogrammed into the device. Sensors on the remote tracking device, orperipherals to the remote tracking device, could be used to monitorphysiological conditions. If measurements associated with thosephysiological conditions fall outside an expected range, which could beprogrammed in the form of a rule, or if a physiological event occurs asdetected by a sensor, an alarm condition could be generated by theprocessor and sent to the monitoring center.

As described, the memory can be utilized to store prerecorded voicemessages or other audio which provide feedback during operation of thedevice. Prerecorded voice messages, are preferred to tones or vibrationsbecause they do not require a reference manual or knowledge of thewearer for interpretation. In addition to alarm type messages, voicemessage feedback may be advantageously utilized during initial setup ofthe device in that it provides step-by-step instructions for the setuproutine, including directing the administrative user to inputinformation about the device and user into the database via the webapplication described below. Voice message feedback may be similarlyutilized during the detachment process to ensure that the device isremoved by an authorized individual. During the removal process, if theaudible instructions are not followed, i.e., inputting requestedinformation into the database, then the device is preferably programmedto generate an alarm, which is processed as described below.

Following the initial power-up sequence, the device may be programmed toestablish a data connection with a monitoring center computer, orcentral server, to which the device provides device-specificidentification data. This eliminates any need for the administrativeuser to connect the device to a local computer or terminal for theinitialization process. The monitoring center computer(s) is/areprogrammed to maintain a data base of data sent by tracking andcommunication devices. Upon initial contact, the central server createsa database entry using the device-specific identification data.

The administrative user is provided access to data on the central servervia a computer or terminal. In instances where the device is used as atracking device for offenders, the administrative user may be thesupervision officer or other authority figure. For other serviceapplications, the administrative user and the wearer may be the sameindividual. Access to the database may be advantageously implemented asa web application, or it may be implemented as a stand aloneapplication.

During normal operation, the GPS receiver identifies the geographicallocation of the device, and the microprocessor processes and stores thatlocation data according to its programming. The device may be programmedsuch that geographical location is continuously monitored or monitoredat specified intervals. In certain embodiments, with an appropriateperipheral, the device may also be programmed to monitor physiologicalconditions of the wearer. The microprocessor actively monitors othercomponents of the device for indications of tampering, batteryexchanges/replacements, and equipment failure.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, a flow chart is shown illustrating anembodiment of a method 400 by which microprocessor 301 from FIG. 3 canmonitor and processes certain conditions. The microprocessor ispreferably programmed to collect and store location data and datarelated to the status of the device and other monitored conditions inthe flash memory, as shown by process 401. The microprocessor is furtherprogrammed to perform additional functions based upon application of therules to the data collected, shown by process 402, upon predeterminedintervals, or upon occurrence of a particular condition, such as, e.g.,when tampering is detected, when the wearer has entered an exclusionzone, when the external battery need to be replaced, or when thewearer's heartbeat is irregular or no longer detectable, the latterrequiring a separate peripheral.

When an alarm condition is raised or action is otherwise required, asshown by process 403, whether because the action is preprogrammed basedon the status of the device, or the action is the result of a commandreceived from the monitoring center, the monitoring center server or theadministrative user, the microprocessor proceeds through a series ofqueries to determine the appropriate action. It should be noted thatboth the condition resulting in an action, and the action taken themicroprocessor, are preferably programmable through the monitoringcenter, the web application or through a direct interface connection tothe device. The first query 404 is whether to send data to themonitoring center by immediately initiating a data connection with thecentral server to transmit data relating to an alarm or data that isstored in memory, as shown in process 405. Next query 406 determines ifsiren 323 from FIG. 3 is activated, producing an audible alert, as shownby process 407.

The next query 408 determines whether the RTD should play one of thepre-recorded messages stored in memory, as shown by process 409. Query410 determines whether to call the monitoring center by initiating atwo-way voice communication using the cellular transceiver, as shown byprocess 411. Finally query 412 determines if the RTD should take someother programmed action as shown by process 413. Other actions mayinclude, but are not limited to, storing data related to an alarm inmemory for transmission at a later time, storing updated rules data tomemory, or suspending rule violations notification for a period of time.While queries 404, 406, 408, 410 and 412 are shown in FIG. 4A in aparticular order, the order is arbitrary and may be modified byprogramming the device.

As an example of method 400, in instances where the location dataindicates the device is located outside of a geographical locationpermitted by the rules, the RTD may provides audio feedback to thewearer indicating the rule violation, in the form of a siren or aprerecorded message, and immediately sends notice to the central serverfor additional processing. The notice would includes the geographicallocation of the device, the time of the location, and an indicator ofthe rule violated. If the wearer did not respond to the prerecordedmessage, the RTD might then escalate the alarm condition by establishinga two-way call with the monitoring center. The monitoring centerpersonnel would then attempt to direct the wearer to leave the exclusionzone and verify that the wearer was complying with the request. If thewearer still did not comply with the request, the alarm condition couldbe escalated still further by activating the siren on the RTD and themonitoring center could then contact the local authorities and directthem to the wearer.

FIG. 4A and the above example illustrates an alarm management system inaccordance with the concepts described herein. Although the exampleabove recited specific steps, the concepts described herein relate toany alarm management system where the remote tracking device and theremote tracking system step through a series of alarm conditions andupon failure by the wearer to resolve the alarm condition, escalate thealarm to a higher level of response or intervention. Such alarmconditions could include, but are not limited to, battery alarms, rulesviolation alarms, tampering alarms and any other condition that can beprogrammed into the device and recognized by the device.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an embodiment of a method 500 illustratesprocessing data from the device when it is received at the centralserver. Initially, the central server determines if the data includesinformation that was expressly requested by an operator at the callcenter or by the administrative user, as shown by process 501, and ifso, the data is relayed to the operator or administrative user fordisplay at a computer or terminal, process 502. Next, the central serverdetermines if the data includes a standard tracer record in process 503,which may include self-identification of the device, self-diagnosticreports, upload audit logs, component version identification,confirmation of parameter changes such as volume control, suspendingaudible alarms at the device, activating or deactivating the speaker,and the like. Standard tracer records are processed as necessary andnoted in the database, as shown in process 504.

If the data does not include a tracer record, the central serverdetermines if the data is an indicator of an alarm condition in process506. If the data is indicative of an alarm condition, the central serverdetermines if the alarm is a repeat of an alarm which was previouslyreceived and reported, as shown by process 507. For alarms that were notpreviously received, the central server takes the appropriatenotification action as programmed by the administrative user, asdescribed by process 508.

If the data is not indicative of an alarm condition, the central serverdetermines whether the individual wearing the device is subject togeographical location rules in process 509. In such instances, thecentral server determines whether a rule has, in fact, been violated,process 510, and determines if an alarm condition exists, process 511.When an alarm condition is raised, the central server first determinesif the alarm is a repeat of a previous alarm, as shown in process 512,and if so, takes the appropriate notification action as programmed bythe administrative user in process 513.

When immediate administrative user notification is not required, or noalarm condition is raised, the data is stored in the database, as shownby process 514, and reported to the administrative user in periodicreports which at least lists all alarm conditions received sinceprovision of the last report. All recorded data may optionally beincluded in the report.

In embodiments of the remote tracking system according to the conceptsdescribed herein, the notification actions are fully configurable by theadministrative user through the web application. The administrative usermay designate specific types of alarms for immediate notification, andnotification may be arranged through one or more methods including fax,email, text messaging to a pager, text messaging to a cellular phone, orthrough a direct call from the call center, or the like. In addition,the administrative user may also designate that some specific types ofalarms result in direct notification to local authorities for immediateaction.

The web application may also provide the administrative user with theability to temporarily suspend reactions to specific types of alarms.During suspension, the device will suspend localized reactions only(i.e., pre-recorded voice messages, siren, initiating voicecommunications with the call center). The device will still transmit allalarms identified during suspension to the central server, which will inturn include all identified alarms in the periodic reports (e.g.,weekly) to the administrative user. The web application may also providethe administrative user and call center operators with the ability toenter and store notes. Notes may be in the form of personal dailymonitoring logs, calendared appointments or action items, casemanagement directives, or contextual notations related to particularalarms saved within the database.

In embodiments of the remote tracking system, the central server mayenable the call center or the administrative user, through the webapplication, to send commands or other data to the device. Such commandsmay include playing a pre-recorded message to the wearer, instructingthe microprocessor to transmit data to provide a current status of thelocation and status of the device, and the like. The administrative usermay also use the web application to instruct to the call center toinitiate voice communications with the wearer. The call center thencontacts the wearer by placing a cellular call to the cellulartransceiver. Once the wearer is contacted, the call center theninitiates a call to the administrative user and conferences the twocalls.

Preferably, all voice communications with the device are made throughthe call center so that all calls may be recorded and saved within thedatabase. This enables the call center and the administrative user toaccess the recorded calls at a later time as needed. To ensure that allcalls are recorded, the cellular transceiver may be configured to blockall incoming calls that do not originate from the call center.Alternatively, the cellular transceiver may be configured to selectivelyblock incoming calls by utilizing the area code and telephone prefix toidentify the origin of the call, allowing calls only from selected areacodes and prefixes. Alternatively, the cellular transceiver mayselectively block all calls except those from list of phone numbers thatis stored in memory.

In embodiments of the remote tracking system, the wearer may alsoinitiate voice communications with the call center. In theseembodiments, at least one of the buttons on the exterior of the devicehousing may be configured to activate voice communications using thecellular transceiver. When pressed, the device is programmed such thatcellular transceiver may only contacts the monitoring center. The devicepreferably has stored in memory a primary number for the call center anda secondary number in case a connection cannot be achieved on theprimary number. Further, the device is programmed to attempt make apredetermined number of attempts to contact the call center, first atthe primary number, then at the secondary number. Should all attemptsfail, the device is preferably programmed to sound an alert condition tothe wearer as an indication that the device is out of a cellular servicearea or requires service for an internal fault.

As has been referenced above, the monitoring center, or call center, isthe focal point of the preferred embodiments of the remote trackingsystem according to the concepts described herein. The monitoring centeris able to communicate with the remote tracking devices, the wearers ofthe remote tracking devices, and the officers, supervisors oradministrators in charge of the persons wearing the RTDs. The monitoringcenter is also the repository for all the data collected from the RTDsand allows direct access to the data by the monitoring center employeesand remote access by the administrators through the web application. Themonitoring center also provides the mechanisms for establishing andmodifying the operating parameters of the RTDs, including the rules foreach wearer.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an example of an embodiment of a monitoringcenter administration flow 600 is shown. Flow 600 begins with the loginaccess 626. Administrator login 601 provides a user with administratorprivileges access to the entirety of flow 600, including administratorflow 627, operator flow 628, script manager flow 629, fulfillment home630, and supervisor flow 631. Lesser login privileges, such assupervisor login 602, operator login 603, script manager login 604 andfulfillment login 605 provided only access to their respective flows andany less included flows, such as the supervisor login providing accessto supervisor flow 631 and operator flow 628.

Administrator flow, accessible by an authorized administrator, includesaccess to the administrator home 606 and to agency overview functions607 and manage agency functions 608, as well as employee managementfunctions 609. Supervisor privileges provides access to supervisor home610, manage user functions 611, as well as to employee managementfunctions 610. Supervisor privileges also provide access to operatorflow 628 as does operator privileges. Operator flow 628 includes accessto operator home 612 which includes access to reports functions 613,messaging functions 614, client and offender detail 615 and 616,respectively, and to search function 617. Client detail 615 and offenderdetail 616 provide further access to demographics functions 620 whichcontains access to contacts 621 and medical history 622.

Script manager privileges provide access to script manager home 618 andto script management functions 619. Fulfillment privileges providesaccess to fulfillment home 623 and device management functions 624 anddevice assignment functions 625.

A preferred embodiment of a call monitoring center in accordance withthe concepts described herein includes a monitoring center which isstaffed 24 hours, seven days a week. The monitoring center isresponsible for monitoring all of the remote tracking devices in thefield and is staffed based on historical patterns of requirements forintervention by monitoring center staff. The computers of the monitoringcenter automatically receive and process the location and statusinformation continuously or periodically sent by each of the remotetracking devices. Based on programmable rules in the monitoring centersoftware, the occurrence of certain conditions in the remote trackingdevices results in the monitoring center software sending an alert toone of the monitoring center personnel. These conditions are usuallyrelated to alarm conditions in a remote tracking device, but can beprogrammed to be any condition which might be of interest to themonitoring center personnel or the supervisors or administrators of theperson being monitored.

When a condition is determined to require the attention of monitoringcenter personnel, the monitoring center software determines theappropriate monitoring center agent and sends the alert to the agent'sterminal. The agent can then respond to the alert or access data in themonitoring center computers related to the history of the remotetracking device, the current parameters programmed into the remotetracking device, information on the wearer of the device or the agencyor administrator in charge of the wearer and the device. Ifintervention, such as the initiation of a two-way voice call, isrequired by the agent, the monitoring center software provides apredetermined script for the agent to follow to ensure that theintervention by the agent conforms to the policies of the monitoringcenter and the agency or supervisor responsible for the tracking deviceand wearer.

In addition to the monitoring center software generating an alert whichrequires the attention of a monitoring center agent, agents may berequired to respond to incoming calls from various interested personsincluding the wearer of the remote tracking device or the supervisor oradministrator of a wearer or device. Referring now to FIG. 7, anembodiment of a call routing system 700 for use in the call monitoringcenter is described. Routing system 700 is operable to receive incomingcalls from a variety of sources 701, 702, 703 and 704, which could bethe wearer of a remote tracking device 702, a supervisor oradministrator 703, or other incoming call 701 or 704. A routing function705 in the monitoring center call system determines the appropriateagent to receive the call from currently active agents at the center.The call may be routed based on the source of the call or may be routedbased on a queue of available agents or any other routing criteria whichmay be used to select an appropriate agent.

Once the agent has been selected the application passes the call detailsto the agent's terminal as shown by process 706. In process 707, theapplication uses the dialed number to select an application context, andthen in process 708 determines a call handling flow for each specifictype of call. Call routing system 700 also includes a contingent processflow 709 for situations in which no call detail information is availableto determine context and call flow for the agent. In the contingentprocess 709, the agent manually enters the caller's phone number intothe agent application which then looks up the customer records and usesthose records to determine the appropriate context and flow for thecall.

As has been described, embodiments of the remote tracking devicemaintain status on themselves in the form of states for various aspectsof the devices. This status is sent to the monitoring center andmaintained by the monitoring center application. Monitoring centerpersonnel, or supervisors or administrators can access the status of theany particular device under their control. An example of the types ofstatus which can be maintained by the RTD and monitoring center is shownin FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is an illustration of a screen shot of an embodimentof the monitoring center application in accordance with the conceptsdescribed herein. While FIG. 8 shows particular aspects of the RTD onwhich status is maintained other aspects of the RTD, it's operatingenvironment, or operating conditions can also be maintained within thescope of the concepts described herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 9A through 9J, embodiments of flow chartsillustrating the operation and functionality of an embodiment of aspectsof the monitoring center software and/or applications are shown. FIG. 9Aillustrates an embodiment of an agency setup flow. Agency setup flow 900illustrates a process by which an administrator or operator can createan agency for which one or more officers will be assigned RTDs that willbe monitored by the monitoring center. FIG. 9B illustrates an embodimentof an officer/administrator setup flow. Officer setup flow 901illustrates the process by which officers/administrators of a particularagency can be setup with control over particular RTDs and providedaccess to the monitoring center application.

FIG. 9C illustrates an embodiment of an offender/wearer setup flow.Offender/wearer setup flow 902 illustrates the process by whichsupervisors or agents of the monitoring center orofficers/administrators of a particular agency can setup particular RTDsand provided relevant and required information to the monitoring centerapplication concerning each offender wearer of an RTD. FIG. 9Dillustrates an embodiment of an offender/wearer assignment flow.Assignment flow 903 illustrates the process by whichofficers/administrators of a particular agency are assigned withauthority over particular RTDs and offenders/wearers.

FIG. 9E illustrates an embodiment of an offender/wearer deviceassignment-flow. Device assignment flow 904 illustrates the process bywhich individual offenders/wearers are assigned with particular RTDs.FIGS. 9F, 9G and 9H illustrate an embodiment of an inclusion/exclusionzone, referred to collectively as geo-zones, setup flow. Geo-zone setupflows 905, 906 and 907 illustrate the process by which operators orofficers/administrators can setup inclusion and exclusion zone rules fora particular RTDs and offender/wearer.

FIG. 9I illustrates an embodiment of an contact monitoring center flow.Assignment flow 903 illustrates the process by which the monitoringcenter can be contacted by standard message, live chat or email. FIG. 9Jillustrates an embodiment of an offender/wearer scheduling flow.Scheduling flow 909 illustrates the process by which operators orofficers/administrators of a particular agency can manage alarmschedules for particular RTDs and offenders/wearers.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, thescope of the present application is not intended to be limited to theparticular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositionof matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. Asone of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from thedisclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized according to the present invention.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps.

1. A remote tracking device for use in a remote tracking system; theremote tracking device comprising: a positioning system receiveroperable to receive signals indicative of the location of the remotetracking device; a wireless transceiver operable to communicate with thecentral monitoring center; and a processor connected to the positioningsystem receiver and the wireless transceiver, the processor operable tomonitor at least one environmental condition for the remote trackingdevice, and to adjust the frequency of an operation of the remotetracking devices based on the at least one environmental condition. 2.The remote tracking device of claim 1 wherein the operation is locationdetermination.
 3. The remote tracking device of claim 1 whereinoperation is data transmission.
 4. The remote tracking device of claim 1wherein the operation is both location determination and datatransmission.
 5. The remote tracking device of claim 1 wherein the atleast one environmental condition includes the rate of movement of theremote tracking device.
 6. The remote tracking device of claim 1 whereinthe at least one environmental conditions include the proximity of theremote tracking device to an area of interest.
 7. The remote trackingdevice of claim 1 wherein the positioning system receiver and/or thewireless transceiver are powered down when not in use.
 8. A methodoperating a remote tracking device, the remote tracking device includinga positioning system engine, a wireless transceiver and a processor, theprocessor able to communicate with the positioning system engine andwireless transceiver to produce location information for the remotetracking device and send the location information to a monitoringcenter; the method comprising: tracking at least one environmentalcondition using the processor; and determining a frequency forperforming an operating function based on the at least one environmentalcondition.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the operation is locationdetermination.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein operation is datatransmission.
 11. The method of claim 8 wherein the operation is one ormore operation selected from the group of: location determination, datatransmission, wearer feedback, alert generation, and alarm generation.12. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one environmentalcondition includes the rate of movement of the remote tracking device.13. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one environmentalconditions include the proximity of the remote tracking device to anarea of interest.
 14. The method of claim 8 wherein the positioningsystem engine and the wireless transceiver are powered down when not inuse.
 15. A remote tracking device for use in a remote tracking system;the remote tracking device comprising: a cellular transceiver; apositioning system receiver operable to receive signals indicative of alocation of the remote tracking device; and a processor connected to thepositioning system receiver and the cellular transceiver, the processoroperable generate status information for the remote tracking device andto store location information derived from the signals indicative of alocation and the status information in a memory, the processor furtherable to monitor at least one environmental condition for the remotetracking device, and to adjust the frequency of data transmission fromthe remote tracking devices based on the at least one environmentalcondition.
 16. The remote tracking device of claim 15 wherein multiplelocation information and status information data sets are stored inmemory before being transmitted as a batch by the cellular transceiver.17. The remote tracking device of claim 15 wherein at least oneenvironmental condition is the rate of movement for the remote trackingdevice.
 18. The remote tracking device of claim 15 wherein at least oneenvironmental condition is for the remote tracking device's proximity toan area of interest.
 19. The remote tracking device of claim 15 whereinat least one environmental condition is the strength of the cellularsignal received by the remote tracking device.
 20. The remote trackingdevice of claim 15 wherein the at least one environmental condition isthe time of day.